THE NEWS IN PRINT

Sometimes it is amazing to hear the innovation that takes place in our day to day lives. On this blog, I have discussed about inkjet printers that can print printed circuit boards, menu cards, microchips, 3D models and list goes on. This time round, I want to introduce solar cells that can be printed from inkjet printers.

Researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology have developed a process of printing solar cells on flexible plastic using inkjet printers. This development could change the face of energy sources in the future if it takes off. Power problems in many parts of the World can be solved in a cost-effective manner. Regular solar panels require purified silicon which is expensive and hard to get hold of for general consumers.

The technology behind harnessing solar energy from the Sun is simple enough. It involves segregation of solar energy into positive and negative charges and sending it to different electrodes; current flows through.

... took the carbon nanotubes and combined them with tiny carbon Buckyballs (known as fullerenes) to form snake-like structures. Buckyballs trap electrons, although they can't make electrons flow. Add sunlight to excite the polymers, and the buckyballs will grab the electrons. Nanotubes, behaving like copper wires, will then be able to make the electrons or current flow.

Zink imaging has unveiled inkless printers at a conference in California. The displayed printer does not use any ink cartridges, ribbons, toners or any regular printer stationary to print quality images off digital cameras and cell phones. This printer is termed ultra portable as the whole unit is as big as an adult's palm.

Without ink, ribbons, or even toners, the ZINK printer utilizes a patented paper that changes its color when heat is applied. This is made possible with the dye crystals that were put inside the photo paper. At room temperature, the photo paper looks like any other paper. It's colorless. But when inserted in the printer, the heat that was activated when you start printing releases the shades in the embedded crystals to create a plethora of colors that take the shape of your image.

The Zink printer not only provides miniaturization of printer but is also deemed to be cost effective. The company claims that postcard sized photographs can be printed at 10 pennies per piece. In essence, the only printing stationary to be purchased is the Zink patented paper which should be looked at as an all-in-one package.

via PR Minds

HP is looking at new domains to venture in the computer industry. It has recently tied up with Nantero, a company that develops nonvolatile memory based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs), in a bid to produce flexible electronic devices. The partnership will integrate two technologies which when combined could produce printable memory like RFID tags.

Nanotube memory is like any other memory that we use on a daily basis. Some examples would be random access memory(RAM), flash memory etc. NT memory is expected to be denser than the currently popular flash memory which results in miniaturization of memory modules. Maybe we will see iPod nano as big as a wrist watch if the NT memory technology takes off.

Nantero said - HP's TIPS R&D tool provides heads with multiple nozzles, large drop size range, and programmable volume. The collaboration is part of an HP initiative to extend HP inkjet printing technology into applications where accurate placement of small drops and deposition of precise volumes of fluid is required.

via EE Times

Printer manufacturers make peanuts selling printers when compared to the ink cartridge sales. Selling a printer is a one time deal but ink cartridges are sold regularly based on the usage. Printer companies have been waging a losing battle against third party cartridge manufacturers. Here is something to cheer about; a chip that allows printers work with its designated cartridges alone.

Cryptography Research Inc. (CRI), a San Francisco company, is developing chip technology aimed at helping printer manufacturers protect this primary source of profit. The company's chips use cryptography designed to make it harder for printers to use off-brand and counterfeit cartridges.

Cryptography is a technology which encrypts the data communication between the printer and the cartridge. Hence, the printer will only recognize the original cartridge associated with it and others would be rejected. As a result, the consumer is forced to buy branded cartridges and would be left with no other alternatives. This brings in huge profits to printer manufacturers but consumers are exposed to face the brunt.

If the developer is smart, the hacker has traditionally been smarter. There have been numerous products which were claimed to be unhackable that have been hacked. It would be a matter of time before hackers find a way past cryptography.

Via CNET

There was a time when I was really young and the Text-2-Speech programme on Windows amazed me. I felt so excited when my computer would spell the words that I typed; even when it mispronounced my name. Technology has come a far way, really far. Researchers from a Swedish University have developed a billboard which talks when touched. The speakers are built inside the paper which is sensitive to pressure.

This is printed with conductive inks, which, when applied with pressure, relay information to a micro-computer that contains recorded audio files. Sound then streams out from printed speakers, which are formed from more layers of conductive inks that sit over an empty cavity to form a diaphragm.

The use of these talking billboards is targeted at travel companies. Travel billboards could have several pictures of destinations around the world. Curious customers could find out more about a destination by touching the appropriate image. Sounds neat; isn't it?

We haven't received any information on the kind of pricing that is associated with the talking billboards. If the prices are in the higher range; it would be probably advisable to go against the idea of this technology as the same can be achieved by a touch sensitive switch connected to an external speaker. I am sure that the Swedish University researchers could find a better and fruitful application for talking paper other than billboards.

via BBC